


Just a little bit

by Snakejorts



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Ultimate Universe
Genre: Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Christmas, Fluff, God I love a twink Steve, M/M, Photographer Bucky Barnes, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Secret Santa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 09:59:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17322857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snakejorts/pseuds/Snakejorts
Summary: Choosing the right Christmas present is so hard...A bit of Christmas fluff for the Marvel Secret Santa on Tumblr!Pre-serum Steve Rogers; set in the Alternative Reality Ultimate Marvel Universe where Bucky is an Army photographer.For sgtbucketbarnes, I hope you like and I'm so sorry for the delay!





	Just a little bit

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sgtbucketbarnes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sgtbucketbarnes/gifts).



This year in Brooklyn, it had really snowed. People had rushed to the supermarkets, hoarding as many tinned goods as they could manage in a flurry of panic... it would not do to be in want of a sardine sandwich on Christmas eve! Of course, public transport was virtually non-existent and everybody was just generally in a wicked bad mood; cold, worried and tired.

  
Steve Rogers was not immune to this. He was a man short in stature, with not much meat on his bones to give him substantial insulation. Going about his errands was a miserable feat, given how his teeth chattered against the cold, but it had to be done...alas he had left the majority of his Christmas gift buying to the few days before the big day. One could be mistaken in thinking him thoughtless, but in reality the thought of having to choose something to gift which would sum up a whole year of a relationship caused him great anxiety. Fortunately, his gift list was not a long one, he kept to a modest circle of friends who he could trust; people he would give his life to protect and felt confident would do the same for him. That's just the kind of man he was.

  
Traversing from shop to shop, he ticked down the list as he obtained the gifts until only one name remained. Of course, he would leave the most difficult to last...what on Earth was he going to get James Buchanan Barnes?!  
Steve knew that Bucky was aware of how much thought he put into his gifts and that is specifically why he was the most nervous in choosing one for him. The truth of the matter was Steve put way too much thought into Bucky in general and each year he was terrified that this would be the year that Bucky would realise this. In the army you were taught to learn your comrades as if they were your own brothers, but Steve could not say that this was the way he felt about Bucky. Sure he'd never actually had a blood brother, but plenty of pretty girls had caught Steve's eye over the years. He was relatively certain that one shouldn't feel the same about these girls as one would about a brother.   
The fact that he had these feelings, ones that would surely weigh down his friend even more than Steve felt he already did with his frailty and impulsivity; he was ashamed. Bucky really was the best pal a guy could wish for and he wanted to get him something that really showed how much he appreciated all the support, something more for once than just a "thank you".

  
What had he said he had wanted? Surely there must be something, given the many hours of the day they spent together. It wouldn't be so hard if his brain didn't insist on focusing on the image of his friend beaming behind the camera as he took another shot that pleased him. Staring at him as he took it.

  
Ah.   
He knew just the thing.

* * *

  
_RAT ATAT TAT_  
  
Who could that be knocking at the door at 8am Christmas morning?   
  
_**RAT ATAT TAT THUNK**_  
  
"Okay, okay Steve! I'm coming, I'm coming!", Bucky couldn't help but show the amusement in his voice, as he yanked on a sweater and trudged towards the door.   
Steve was just like a child sometimes; he found it just a bit adorable. This unique energy wasn't something you found often, as everybody always seemed so serious nowadays.   
Unlocking the door and nudging it open it felt like Bucky's skin was trying to escape into his body when the freezing December air hit him.   
  
"Sweet Jesus Steve are you trying to catch pneumonia?", his cherry-cheeked best friend blundered past to get into the warm of the apartment. Bucky slammed the door as fast as he could manage, not without a few colourful words falling from his lips. On turning around he inspected his visitor more concernedly. He looked like a snowman, the way his thin frame was packaged up in his army coat, but now that he removed his gloves Bucky could see the tell-tale sign of how cold he was given the blue of his fingernails. Ever since he had met him Steve had always been especially sensitive to the cold and often sick, but he had this sort of stubbornness about him that was at odds with staying in the warm. He guessed it had something to do with the fact that he didn't want to miss opportunities, given what Steve had told him of his childhood that was something that had been a reoccurring theme.   
  
So lost in thought and concern, Bucky had failed to notice the rectangular package Steve had placed aside as he took off his gloves, but now as those cold hands went to get at the package it clicked.   
"You didn't...", the amusement was back and he had to fight the corners of his mouth not to curl up into a goofy grin.   
That proved an impossible task when faced with the cheeky little smirk his friend gave him handing over the present. A cheeky little smirk that seemed to travel from bright excited eyes down to perfectly pursed lips; he was, just a little bit...beautiful.

"Here's to a year of friendship, and many more to come."   
Bucky wasn't ecstatic, not one bit, as he ripped open the crudely wrapped item. Nor was he ecstatic to see what was contained inside. For what he held was a blue leather-bound photo album and the promise of a companionship that would be captured wherein.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all had an amazing Christmas, even though you are reading this after Christmas! Happy 20-biteen I guess to our bi kings!  
> I haven't written in a very long time, so please any pointers and critique would be amazing!


End file.
